


all we have is our fire

by dxvr



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Enemies to Friends to Lovers, F/M, Hogwarts Eighth Year, M/M, Mutual Pining, Roommates, Slow Burn, and they were ROOMMATES
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-05-31
Updated: 2019-05-31
Packaged: 2020-03-30 20:29:45
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 839
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19035058
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dxvr/pseuds/dxvr
Summary: An eighth year fic, Harry centered, in which he has to figure out his feeling for someone who was once his nemesis.





	all we have is our fire

**Author's Note:**

> So, this is going to be updated (hopefully) once a week. I'm still learning how to write and have my sentences flow as if I'm a human being who has experienced a conversation before! Beta'd by the amazing Jules- I hope you still visit after you graduate.

Harry’s staring at the list of people who’ll share dorms together this year with wide eyes and an open mouth.

“I can’t believe she would do this to you, mate. You save the bloody world and she rooms you with _the Ferret_?”

Ron’s quick to comment, with Hermione close behind.

“I guess McGonagall wasn’t joking about the houses being merged into one. I got stuck with Parkinson. Plus, at least he hasn’t even shown up yet.”

Harry had to give her that one. At the welcoming feast, the Great Hall had been strikingly empty, and not just of eighth years. Many students hadn’t survived the war, or had switched schools so they weren’t constantly reminded of who they lost. The Slytherin table, in particular, had been almost barren. There had been pitiful clapping for the newly sorted Slytherins from the room, and those few green-clothed students had stayed silent. Harry had spotted Parkinson and Zabini sitting next to each other, but there was an obvious spot for Malfoy that had yet to be filled.

Harry finally closes his mouth, worried for any flies in the room, and swallows. He’s worried about when Malfoy will decide to pop up and demand that they go straight to McGonagall to switch roommates. To be fair, Harry would have been halfway up to the Headmaster’s office by now if he thought he could change her mind. Unfortunately, she had made it extremely clear that the eighth year rooming decisions were permanent, and that the most important goal for Harry’s returning class would be “inter-house unity.”

Hermione’s hand presses gently on his shoulder, shaking Harry from his reverie.

“Are you going to start unpacking now? We can go up with you if you want, but I’m fairly sure Malfoy’s not going to show up tonight and you might as well have a night to yourself before classes start tomorrow.” “Yeah, I’ll try to turn in early, at least I’ll have a chance to not sleep through my alarm.”

Hermione beams at that and Ron slings his arm around her. After everything, they’re still dating, and Harry knows that he shouldn’t be jealous of them. It’s just, the war chiseled away at his and Ginny’s relationship until there was nothing left but arguments and words they didn’t mean. Nights where they would fall asleep in each others arms were rare and keeping up with their relationship became an endless chore. So when Ginny pulled him into the same small room in the Burrow where she had once given him a stolen kiss, and told him they couldn’t continue to be together, Harry wasn’t surprised. He was glad to relieve the tension between them, and even though they both needed space and would break eye contact too quickly and have stilted conversations, they were far more comfortable than before.

Harry says his quick goodbyes to Ron, who has migrated over to Seamus and Dean to ask about their summer and families, and Hermione, who is holding on to Ron’s hand but clearly not listening to their conversation, her eyes drooping. Harry catches Ron’s eye and mouths look, pointing down towards Hermione, before grabbing his trunk and making his way towards his dorm.

As he steps inside the room and sets his trunk down at the foot of the bed closest to the window, he notices how tight the room feels. There’s a solid four feet between his and what would be Malfoy’s bed, _if the prick ever decides to show up_ , Harry thinks, but it doesn’t feel like enough. It would be different if he got roomed with Dean, like Ron, the lucky bastard- the only one out of the trio who didn’t get a dorm with someone who used to torment them. Harry would have gladly taken Neville’s snores if it meant he wasn’t roommates with someone who hated his guts. Malfoy had made that very clear. The last time they had been in the same room was for his mother’s trial, where Harry testified for her and ultimately saved her from a life in Azkaban. The entire session had been filled with thankful tears from Narcissa and stoney-faced glares from Malfoy. Harry hadn’t quite thought it fair, since just a week prior Harry had also kept his arse out of prison, as well as taken the time to find Malfoy after his trial to return his wand. It hadn’t happened the way Harry had pictured, with a grimace and cold eyes and even, if he was lucky, a small “ _thank you_.” Instead, what he received was a stoic face and flitting eyes between the two, never meeting. But that was thoroughly fine with Harry, who would have preferred to keep his distance from Malfoy this year. Even now in his bed, his mind drifting into sleep, he couldn’t keep himself from wondering what would happen when he came back.

Harry falls asleep thinking of old smirks and grey blood.

**

Around midnight, a figure slips into the room and falls onto the unoccupied bed, sighing.


End file.
